Season review: Recapping Austin and Madi’s remarkable campaign
Relive some of the highlights from Madi’s first LOVB Pro season
Published
02 MAY 2025
Est. reading time
3 min
Madi kicked off her professional volleyball career with a season to remember — culminating in a remarkable LOVB Finals triumph in Kentucky.
The 23-year-old signed for Austin ahead of LOVB Pro’s inaugural campaign and immediately set about making an impact with the Texans.
From a 27-point haul on her debut to a series of eye-catching performances in the post-season, here’s a round-up of some of Madi and Austin’s highlights from 2025.
Immediate impact
Austin’s season-opener ended in a 3-2 defeat to Houston, but Madi was nonetheless able to put 27-points on the board in her first LOVB Pro outing.
That was more than any other player on the court by some margin, with team-mate Alessia Gennari posting the second-most points (20) and no Houston player registering more than 19.
And it wasn’t long before the Texans tasted success — sweeping Madison the following day, as part of a double-header at the Fort Bend County Epicenter.
Houston conundrum
Round 1 wasn’t the only time that Madi enjoyed facing Houston — far from it, in fact.
The Outside Hitter delivered four of her five highest regular-season tallies against Massimo Barbolini’s unit, but Austin were only able to win one of those encounters.
Commendable showing at LOVB Classic
Austin didn’t triumph in the first-ever LOVB Classic in mid-February, but they nonetheless put in a commendable showing in Kansas City.
After an inconsistent start to the season, Austin progressed past Salt Lake (3-1) into the final four, but couldn’t get past Atlanta in the next round (1-3).
However, a 3-1 win versus Omaha on Day 3 ensured that Madi’s team finished the tournament in a respectable third place with two victories from three attempts.
Double delight on home ground
H-E-B Center at Cedar Park hosted a Weekend with LOVB event in Gameweek 7, and Austin put in two impressive performances on home ground.
Their first match saw Madi win ‘Player of the Game’ in a 3-1 victory over Houston, with the Katy-born star racking up 26 points, 23 kills and 13 digs.
They then followed that up by securing another triumph the next day — this time beating Salt Lake by the same scoreline.
The final furlong
Austin struggled to pick up positive results in the regular season’s final furlong, but Madi provided a glimpse of what was to come in the LOVB Finals with two commendable tallies in late March and early April.
She registered 23 points against Omaha despite the Texans’ narrow 3-2 loss, then performed a similar feat on the last matchday — contributing 22 points and 18 kills versus Salt Lake, which was more than any other player who featured at the Bruin Arena.
Post-season magic
The remarkable events of April’s LOVB Finals need little introduction.
Austin put in a trio of scintillating performances to lift the LOVB Championship Trophy against the odds, as Madi was named the post-season MVP.
Heading to Louisville as fifth-seeds, Austin came from two sets down to beat Salt Lake 3-2 — thanks in part to 23 points from Madi.
They then repeated an identical reverse sweep in the semi-finals (3-2) against top-seeds Atlanta, in what was arguably Madi’s finest performance of the year.
A season-high 29 points and 25 kills resulted in another ‘Player of the Game’ award, and set up a final against fellow surprise package Omaha.
That match proved to be more straightforward, as Austin won convincingly (3-0) to round off a 2025 campaign that will live long in the memory.
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